H.E. Greg Dorey's opening speech[1]
"Madam President Galajda, Executive Director Winship, Judge Lady Brenda Hale, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great honour for me to be allowed to co-open this Regional Conference of the Hungarian Association of Women Judges. Your goals are admirable being held in the framework of the International Organisation.
It is widely known that the Association plays a central role in raising awareness about human rights issues, with a special focus on women's and children's rights. As a result of your dedicated work, there is in Hungary today an increasing number of judges and legal experts with expertise in how to recognise discrimination and prejudice and with knowledge of ways in which these issues can be tackled. This in itself is a huge achievement, on the road to creating a better and more just society.
22 years after bilateral relations between Hungary and the United Kingdom properly opened up, it is good to know that there are excellent ties between the legal professions of our two countries. Nowadays you get on with this professional relationship with minimal involvement from the British Embassy in Budapest. That is right and proper and entirely normal. But this did not come about accidentally and I recall a time when we worked long and hard to create and then strengthen these ties and to support a range of projects in the field of law and the judiciary.
I first worked in Budapest as First Secretary Political/Economic in 1989-92 and was responsible for launching the British Know-How Fund here before we could get a full-time team in place to manage it. The Fund covered a number of areas, including legal programmes. And among other things – these are just examples that I recall - we organised a seminar on commercial law with the help of the British-Hungarian Legal Association; advised on the harmonisation of Hungarian legislation with European Union Directives; and offered a significant number of scholarships to young Hungarian lawyers under the so-called Chevening Programme, so they could study in some of the best Universities in the UK. Many of them have since have become successful in their professions as lawyers, legal advisers, Parliamentarians and high-ranking Ministry officials.
A major goal in the post-Communist era was the establishment of the Rule of Law here. The existence of a strong, transparent, well-balanced and inclusive judicial system in Hungary is very much in our mutual interest, and the mutual interest of all of Hungary’s EU partners for a start. Such a system provides its citizens; companies and individuals resident in Hungary; and visitors from other countries with a guarantee that their personal rights will be respected and protected and - should an incident happen - that they can expect fair treatment and if appropriate a fair trial. Specifically, in the case of my Embassy, it is important that all consular cases should be dealt with in conformity with international norms and standards.
Given the focus today, may I - with due deference to Judge Lady Brenda Hale - say a few words about gender equality in the British judicial system. Although the situation is still far from perfect, there have been significant improvements in recent decades. The judiciary is, of course, entirely independent of and separate from the Government. But as a result of the UK’s Equality Act, employers - including the legal professions - are subject to its provisions, including that of gender equality. Election of the judiciary is likewise entirely independent of Government. The Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) started to operate in April 2006. It is an independent commission that selects candidates for judicial office in courts and tribunals in England and Wales, and for some tribunals whose jurisdiction extends to Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The JAC has specific objectives to improve diversity in the judiciary, by including more women and more people from all under-represented groups, including disabled people. The JAC’s most recent report shows that women comprised 54% of those selected as fee-paid Employment Judges. The Secretary of State for Justice, Ken Clarke, very much welcomed this positive development and expressed pleasure at the fact that an unprecedentedly large number of young females are entering law schools in the UK these days.
Finally, a general comment about equal opportunities. As UK Ambassador, I think it is crucial that everyone at my Embassy is treated equally. Every applicant who applies for an advertised job receives the same consideration regardless of gender or background – and we welcome applications from all under-represented groups. At present the Embassy employs considerably more females than males and in a wide variety of functions, including within senior management. We all – myself included - make every effort to follow a flexible and family friendly approach to our jobs.
Our feeling is that if we are to promote diversity and equal opportunities as an element of our foreign policy – which we do – we will only be credible if we follow these principles in our daily work too.
Thank you very much for letting me take part in this conference. May I wish you all a very fruitful time here. I look forward to learning about your conclusions as well as to hearing the speech by Judge Lady Brenda Hale. I don’t need to go through her distinguished CV. The key statistic is that – as of today – she remains the most senior female judge in the history of the United Kingdom. Before her speech, may I first hand over to Executive Director Winship."
[1] H.E. Greg Dorey Ambassador of the United Kingdom in Budapest